PMVs have become increasingly popular due, in great part, to the societal changes effected by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of June 1990. The ADA has, inter alia, resulted in equal access and freedom of movement/mobility for disabled individuals. Notably, various structural changes have been mandated to the construction of homes, sidewalks and even parkway/river crossings, e.g., bridges, to enlarge entrances and provide ramped surfaces to ease mobility for disabled persons in and around society.
Furthermore, electrically powered PMVs offer an environmentally friendly alternative to gasoline burning vehicles such as gas-powered scooters, mopeds, motorcycles, etc. In addition, various technologies have made the mass production of such PMVs fiscally rewarding to manufacturers and affordable for the consumer. For example, the development of long-life rechargeable power supply units, e.g., lithium batteries, fuel cells, etc., has made PMVs practical for everyday use.
While significant advances have been made, there are still many design challenges/limitations, which require innovation and improvement. One such area relates to the transportability of PMVs within other vehicles for use at other destinations. Generally, the size and weight of a PMV presents challenges, even for individuals of considerable strength and dexterity, to lift the PMV into an automobile or disassemble the PMV into manageable subassemblies. Some of the heavier subassemblies to manipulate include the power supply units, e.g., rechargeable batteries, which, individually, can weight in excess of twenty (20) pounds.
Conventionally, each battery is mounted to a floor pan of the PMV by means of a pair of long threaded rods disposed on opposite sides of a battery for clamping the battery to the floor pan. Each rod has an L-bracket at one end for engaging an upper surface of the power supply unit and a J-hook at the other end engaging a mounting aperture of the floor pan. Further, each L-bracket includes an aperture for engaging and sliding longitudinally along the rod. The rod is urged against the battery by a conventional wing nut. Consequently, to remove the battery, the wing nuts are loosened to disengage the L-brackets and the rods are displaced sufficiently to enable the battery to clear the brackets. Generally, each battery will include a strap extending across its top to facilitate handling of the batten. While this assembly provides a positive mounting arrangement for attaching the battery to the floor pan of the PMV (such positive mounting being especially critical for batteries subject to motion or vibration), this mounting arrangement does not facilitate rapid removal and reassembly.
Other mounting arrangements designed with such assembly/disassembly attributes, typically include a hook & rail assembly or a channel & track arrangement disposed along the upper side surfaces of a power supply unit. A typical hook & rail assembly may include, for example, J-shaped hooks disposed in combination with a battery/battery box for being hung on a pair of parallel rails attached to and supported by the PMV frame. As such, the battery/battery box may be installed vertically and relies upon its own weight to prevent the hooks from disengaging the rails. While this mounting arrangement facilitates ease of installation or disassembly, it does not positively retain the battery/battery box.
With respect to channel and track mounting arrangements, channels are formed in combination with the battery/battery box and engage tracks attached to the PMV frame. Installation and disassembly of the battery/battery box requires that the channels slideably engage the track by insertion of the channels through an open end of the track. As such the battery/battery box does not “drop in” vertically (possible with the hook & rail assembly discussed supra), but slides in horizontally. While the channels and track can be configured to positively engage and retain the battery/battery box, the mounting arrangement requires that space be provided for the battery/battery box to slide in a horizontal plane for engaging the track.
In addition to the structural and/or functional disadvantages of the prior art, the battery/battery box and/or mounting assemblies may produce an aesthetically unattractive external appearance. Consequently, such components and assemblies are typically occluded or hidden from sight by a more aesthetically pleasing chassis element or PMV component. For example, a contoured external fuselage or a seat/seat support assembly may be disposed over the battery/battery box to preclude viewing of the battery/battery box and/or mounting arrangement. Consequently, these elements or assemblies must be additionally removed to access and disassemble the battery/battery box.